A Love Story
by Krory fanatic
Summary: A year has finally passed after the death of Arystar's beloved Eliade. What happens if he met a woman that would changed his life forever?
1. Acquaintance

This is a story about Arystar Krory when he met another woman that made his world revolve once again. This has nothing to do with Lavi or Miranda or anybody else. Well, it has a sort of love triangle with Yu Kanda (even if I don't know how he got in the story, I just thought he would be a pretty cool guy to add in the story). I just made my very own character of Arystar's new lover. Hope you like it.

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><p>Chapter 1: Acquaintance<p>

The morning had passed by with such normalcy that Arystar Krory the Third quickly went to his bedroom and collapsed on his bed, as soon as he arrived from his mission. The sudden loud knocking on his door was the only thing that pulled him back from his heavenly sleep.

"Kuro-chan," Lavi's loud and annoying voice called out, "open this door, will ya?"

Arystar just groaned and buried his head deeper into the pillows.

When Arystar refused to open the door, the knocking turned into banging. "KUUURO-CHAAAAN!"

The door finally swung open and there stood in front of Lavi the tall exorcist of the Order.

"This better be important, Lavi or else I'll let Kanda skewer your head." Arystar threatened as he glared at Lavi.

"Relax, buddy. I just want to inform you about something." Lavi answered coolly.

Arystar just stared as he waited for Lavi to talk.

"Komui said there's a new exorcist in the Order. I heard she's a real babe. I was wondering if you could accompany me and check her out 'cause Allen says..."

The door slammed shut before Lavi could finish his sentence.

Arystar moaned as he plunked himself onto his bed again. _Why does Lavi have to wake me up just for a silly thing like that? As if I actually care if there's a new girl here in the Order, _Arystar thought. With that, he closed his eyes once again and went to sleep.

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><p>Arystar woke up early the next morning. The sun was not yet showing in the horizon and even the Order seemed peacefully quiet. He decided to take the opportunity to take a short walk in the Order's garden. Taking his black cloak with him, he started for the garden. As he walked, a sense of relaxation overwhelmed him. After weeks of non-stop missions with Lavi, he realized he needed some time to be alone and to think. As he was nearing the Order's garden path, he saw that someone had also decided to relax at that time of day. He stared at the woman who was sitting on one of the nearby stone benches.<p>

The woman was lovelier than any woman Arystar had ever seen. Perhaps, lovelier than his very own Eliade. The woman has lovely, wavy blonde hair that cascaded down her back gracefully. Her beautiful, chocolate brown eyes stared at the distance, unaware of Arystar's presence. And her cheeks, so rosy in color that one would think she added make-up to her face. It was as if a goddess came down from heaven ad decided to sit and relax on that stony bench. Except, the goddess-like woman was wearing the Order's standard exorcist's uniform: a black, tight-fitted garment (for the women), with the Order's emblem.

Arystar's breath was knocked out of his chest. He stood still and watched the woman as she pushed away a lock of her hair from her face. It was as if he had actually grown roots.

Suddenly, it was as if the woman sensed someone was watching her, she turned around and met Arystar's gaze. As soon as Arystar met with the woman's luminous gaze, he felt his chest tighten. He wanted to bolt back towards the way he had come but he was too entranced with woman's eyes that he can't quite think clearly. For a few minutes, they just stared at each other without blinking. Finally, the woman stood up and started to walk towards him.

Arystar could now hear the beating of his heart in his ears. He was rooted to the spot as the woman walked to him. Finally, when the woman was a few steps in front of him, he finally summoned all the courage he had and turned back. However, he hadn't taken at least one step when the woman's soft and dreamy voice floated to his ears.

"Hello," the woman greeted. "My name is Ellie."

Arystar slowly turned around to look at her. As he finally got a closer look at her, he fought the urge to nosebleed in front of this lovely human being. He backed away and opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

Ellie smiled mildly and stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Arystar lowered his gaze at the hand in front of him, as if wondering why the woman was putting it there right before him. He hesitated.

Ellie smiled some more. "Don't worry. I won't bite you know."

Arystar slowly took the Ellie's hand in his. Ellie's hand was soft and delicate and he was afraid his hand was gripping her tightly. He shook Ellie's hand gently. "I-I-I'm...A-Ary...Ary..."

Ellie cocked her head at him. "Are you okay?"

Arystar swallowed and nodded his head rather stiffly.

"What's your name?" Ellie asked as she finally pulled her hands free.

"Arystar." Arystar blurted. "I-I mean, A-Arystar Krory the Third."

Ellie chuckled. "What a cute name for a cute guy."

Arystar reddened when he heard that. "C-Cute?"

Ellie nodded. " I think you look cute. Is there something wrong with that?"

Arystar shook his head. "A-at least I think so."

"My real name is Ellie Watson. I use my mother's maiden name because I haven't met my dad and...oh! I-I said too much." Ellie clamped her mouth.

This time, it was Arystar who gave a soft smile. "N-no. It's okay. Hey, y-you can call me Arystar if you want."

Ellie's smile returned. "Call me Ellie."

The two gave each other knowing stares.

Finally, Arystar cleared his throat. "Want to...take a short walk w-with m-me?"

Ellie beamed. "I'd love that."

The two started to walk as they waited for the sun to rise.

"Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before." Arystar finally said.

"I _am_ new here." Ellie answered. "I came last night. I'm a newly recruited exorcist. I-I was so tired from last night's journey I quickly fell asleep as soon as I reached my room."

"Oh, so you haven't met anyone in particular yet?" Arystar asked softly.

"Well, I've met you and...what's his name again...ah yes. Yu Kanda. That Japanese-looking guy with a serious expression. He was the one that told me I was an exorcist." Ellie answered.

"Ohh. So you've already met Kanda, eh. Was he with Noise Marie when he found you?" Arystar asked.

"Who's Noise Marie?" Ellie asked.

Arystar blinked. "Um...wait...was Kanda alone when he recruited you?"

"Yes." Ellie answered curtly. She sighed sadly. "I think Kanda already dislikes. He kept looking at me as if he can't stand being with me for another minute."

"Oh, don't worry. Kanda dislikes everybody." Arystar said gently.

"Do you...also dislike me, Arystar?" Ellie suddenly asked.

Arystar looked at Ellie in astonishment. "Why would you think dislike you?"

Ellie lowered her gaze. "Well, the truth is...people don't like back home. My friends turned against me when they learned about my powers. Everyone started to resent me and they started accusing me of being a witch because they say only witches have supernatural powers. Good thing Kanda came and rescued me. I guess I owe him everything, even if he is such a grouchy man."

_Her story is just like mine. Except, she didn't have an akuma lover. _Arystar thought.

Ellie's face suddenly brightened with a smile. "But now, I can finally have friends who will like me for who I really am. And that's what matters the most."

Arystar smiled at her. "D-do you consider me as your friend already?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course, Arystar!" Ellie laughed.

Ellie's words sent a warm, tingly feeling inside Arystar. He was so surprised that someone as new and lovely as Ellie would trust someone like him so quickly.

The two continued to walk in silence. It wasn't the kind of silence wherein two people get awkward with each other, but a silence that told Arystar and Ellie that they were not alone. Time flew by so quickly and without knowing it, the sun had already risen and the Order was starting to become alive with people once again.

Ellie was the first to notice the slowly changing color of the horizon. She stopped walking.

"W-what is it?" Arystar asked.

"Maybe we should go back now. The sun had already risen. Besides...", Ellie smiled and patted her stomach, "I'm hungry. Perhaps, you can show me where the cafeteria is located."

Arystar also smiled. "Sure."

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><p>"Has any of you seen Kuro-chan?" Lavi asked to Allen, Lenalee and Bookman.<p>

Allen looked at Lavi just as he was about to slurp down the last of his soup. "No. We haven't seen him yet, Lavi. Why'd you asked?"

Lavi sat down on the chair beside Lenalee. "Well, we were supposed to meet early this morning for our practice session. When I knocked at his door this morning though, he didn't answer. Thought he was with you guys."

"Maybe he just decided to take a short walk in the garden." Lenalee suggested.

"Exactly. I'm sure someone like Arystar would need a little peace and quiet after being with you for the whole week." Bookman added as he sipped his tea.

"What did you just say, old man?" Lavi snarled. He waved his hands dismissively. "Nah! I'm going out to find him."

However, just as he was about to walk away, the cafeteria door opened and Arystar entered with a a very lovely woman walking beside him. The whole cafeteria grew silent as soon as they saw the two together.

Lavi's eyes practically bulged out of his head. "Whoooaaa. Who...is...she?"

"That's Ellie Watson, our newest exorcist. Kanda just recruited her. Why is she with Krory?" Allen asked puzzled.

Ellie felt nervous as she and Arystar strode inside the huge cafeteria. Everyone was staring at her and it was starting to give her the heebee-jeebies. "W-why are they staring at me like that?" She finally asked, lowering her head to let her hair cover her face.

_Maybe because you're just too dazzling, _Arystar thought. He smiled comfortingly. "Don't mind them. They're probably curious about you because they don't know you yet. Come, I'll introduce you to my friends."

Ellie followed Arystar as he led her to a table at the corner of the room. She saw that four people were already comfortably seated and, as she expected, staring at her as she drew closer.

"Ellie...these are my friends." Arystar finally said, gesturing at Allen, Lavi, Bookman and Lenalee.

The four continued to stare.

Ellie bowed her head and said, "A pleasure to meet you all."

Lavi was the first to speak. He sidled closer to Ellie and cleared his throat. "Er, hi. The name's Lavi Bookman. That old man there is my grandpa. Nice to meet you."

Ellie smiled shyly at Lavi and averted her eyes.

Lenalee stood up and went to Ellie. She smiled warmly and offered her hand. "Hi. My name is Lenalee Lee. I hope we'll be great friends."

Ellie's smile widened. "Yes. That would be wonderful."

"I'm Allen." Allen said as he also went to Ellie. "I'm sure you'll love it here in the Order. Everyone here is friendly and helpful."

"Except for Yu." Lavi snickered.

"Lavi!" Lenalee hissed.

Ellie smiled softly. She was already starting to feel at home.

"Hey, what are you still doing there? Come and eat with us." Lavi remarked. He pulled back a chair and encouraged her to sit next to him.

"Okay. Thank you." Ellie said as she sat down.

Arystar was glad that Ellie was somehow starting to be comfortable with his friends. "I'll be right back. I'll just bring you some food." Then he went to the counter.

"So...", Lavi leaned closer to Ellie, "do you like anybody in particular here at the Order?"

Ellie looked puzzled. "Uhm...I don't really know. I'm just new so I don't know a good number of guys yet."

"Oh, really..." Lavi ran a hand over his usually spiky red hair and smiled cheekily.

Allen and Lenalee looked at each other before rolling their eyes.

"Give her a break, Lavi." Allen groaned. "Don't expect her to like a perverted person."

"Hey! What perverted person? I'm no pervert!" Lavi protested.

Ellie started to giggle.

After a while, the three started laughing too.

"Anyway..." Allen finally said, "how old are you, Ellie?"

"Oh, me? I'm already 27-years-old." Ellie answered.

The three gaped at her. Bookman continued to sip his tea and tried to look uninterested.

"You're already 27?" Lavi exclaimed.

Ellie looked at him curiously. "Why so surprised?"

"Well, you only seem to be around Lavi's age." Allen answered.

"Really? Exactly how old are you, Lavi?" Ellie asked.

"18." Lavi said.

Ellie stared at him for a while and bursted out laughing. "What? Do I really look that young?" She covered her mouth and laughed in a cute girlish way.

"Oh man, she's so hot and cute at the same time." Lavi whispered to Allen. Allen smirked and shook his head.

"I'm back." Arystar interrupted. He settled a tray in front of Ellie and sat down on the empty seat beside her. He settled his own tray on the table.

Ellie quickly looked up at him and smiled softly. "Thank you so much, Arystar."

Arystar smiled back, exposing his sharp pointed teeth. "You're welcome."

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><p>"Ellie's a real knockout, Kuro-chan! Can you believe she's already 27-years-old? Aw, man! She should have at least waited for me. Do you think she already has a boyfriend?" Lavi asked as he and Arystar practiced their innocence.<p>

Arystar stopped and stared at Lavi. "I-I don't think so." Somehow, the thought of Ellie having a possible lover somewhere outside the Order made his heart heavy.

Lavi also stopped and scrutinized Krory's sudden sad expression. He grinned widely as a thought occurred to him. "Heyyy. YOU like her." He teased.

Arystar looked at Lavi wide-eyed. "Wh-what? No way!"

"Kuro-chan likes Ellie! Kuro-chan likes Ellie!" Lavi continued.

"NO! Shut it!" Arystar shouted. Finally, he tackled Lavi to the ground and ran back to his room. Once safely inside, he covered his head with a pillow._ I don't like her that much. Lavi's wrong. I just like Ellie as a , I barely know her._

Little did he know how his life was about to take sudden turn at the arrival of this lovely new exorcist.

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><p><em><strong>HOPE YOU LIKED IT!<strong>_

Comments please. Criticism is appreciated. :)_  
><em>


	2. Heartbeat

Okay, this is the continuation of the last chapter (duh), and I hope it turns out well. Anyway, enough of this. I'll start or I might never get finished.

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><p>Chapter 2: Heartbeat<p>

"Arystar?" Ellie's soft and velvety voice floated across Arystar's door. "Are you in there?"

The door opened and Arystar peeped his head outside. He sighed in relief when he saw it was only Ellie. "Hello, Ellie. What are you doing here?"

Ellie shrugged. "I just wanted to see you. Staying in my room is pretty boring. I thought I could talk to you for a while so that we can get to know each other better. If...that's okay with you."

"S-sure." Arystar answered timidly. He opened the door fully and Ellie entered.

Ellie found Arystar's room fascinating even though it was dark and silent. Antique items were displayed inside a huge wooden cabinet with glass windows. "Wow...you own these?"

Arystar smiled and slowly closed the door. He pulled aside the curtains to let in a little sunlight. "No,actually, they're my grandfather's. He likes to collect rare items."

"Really..." Ellie leaned a little closer to the cabinet. Then she straightened and looked at Arystar. "Where is he now?"

A look of sadness crossed over Arystar's face. It quickly disappeared, replaced by a soft smile. "He's dead. He died when I was still young."

"O-oh. I'm sorry, Ary-"

"Don't be sorry. It was a long time ago. I quickly got over it." Arystar cut in.

Once again, Ellie noticed the fangs that jutted out the side of Arystar's mouth. Fascinated, she quickly went closer to Arystar and gently took his chin in her hand, not knowing the effect of this innocent gesture to the timid man.

"I've never seen teeth like yours before, Arystar. Just look at those fangs!" Ellie said observantly.

Arystar's heart was pounding in his ears. He started to sweat. He had never been this close to a woman before, except when Eliade was still alive. He swallowed a huge lump in his throat.

"I'm pretty sure this must be your inno-" Ellie noticed Arystar's expression for the first time. She quickly let go of his chin. "Arystar, are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

Arystar had trouble regaining his breath. He slowly stumbled backwards and clutched at the edge of his table.

"Oh my gosh, Arystar. You don't look too good. Wait, I'll open the window." Ellie cried out in alarm. She quickly rushed to the window and pushed it open. Then she looked back at Arystar worriedly. "Are you okay now?"

He tried to smile but his chin only trembled. Finally, he got hold of himself and smiled weakly at Ellie. "I'm fine. Sorry for alarming you."

"Does that happen often?" Ellie asked as she slowly walked back to Arystar.

Arystar thought Ellie was referring to his reaction when it comes to women but then he realized she was talking about his sensitivity. "Oh...that. Well, not all the time."

"You frightened me there for a moment." Ellie sighed in relief. She sat down on Arystar's bed and stared at him.

"W-what is it? Is there something in my face?" Arystar asked after a short while.

Ellie blinked and laughed nervously. "Sorry. I didn't realized I was already staring at you too much."

Arystar just smiled. He went to Ellie and sat down next to her.

Suddenly the door opened and an enthusiastic Lavi bursted inside the room.

"Hey, Kuro-chan! I was looking for-"

Lavi stopped when he saw Ellie and Arystar looking at him in astonishment.

"Hello, Lavi." Ellie greeted uncertainly. "Is there...something you need from Arystar?"

Lavi's eyes darted from Ellie to Arystar and back to Ellie again. "Er...I think have something to tell him but I forgot. I'll just go now. See ya."

With that, he quickly left the room, leaving Ellie and Arystar staring at the wooden door.

_Lavi is such a liar, _Arystar thought with a sigh. _How in the world will a Bookman forget something? _

"Lavi's acting kind of weird, don't you think so, Arystar?" Ellie asked.

Arystar gave a soft laugh. "Oh. Don't mind him. You'll get used to him after a few weeks here at the Order."

Ellie smiled at that. She caught sight of the wall clock and gave a start. "Uh-oh. I need to go. It's getting late. See you around, Arystar."

"See you around." Arystar replied.

Ellie glanced back at him and smiled softly before closing the door.

Once Ellie was gone, Arystar went to the window and stared outside. It was getting dark. It won't be long before Lavi would be banging at his door again and telling him that it's time for supper. However, he welcomed the idea. Going to the cafeteria would mean one thing: seeing Ellie once more. And he must admit, even though it was somewhat alarming to him, he was starting to like Ellie more and more.

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><p>"Well, hello, Krory." Jerry greeted. "What's your order for tonight?"<p>

"I'll have the usual, Jerry." Arystar answered.

As Jerry went to get Arystar's orders, Arystar spotted Ellie at the far end of the room talking to Kanda. He found himself frowning when he saw the two.

"Here you are, Krory." Jerry suddenly said.

Arystar looked at Jerry again with a start. "Oh. Thank you, Jerry."

Jerry noticed that Arystar was sneaking glances at Ellie and Kanda. He smiled teasingly. "That new girl sure is beautiful, isn't she, Krory?"

Not thinking clearly, Arystar answered, "Yeah, she sure is."

"Arystar, snap out of it." Jerry finally snapped.

"Huh, what?" Arystar asked as he looked at Jerry.

Jerry laughed. "Take these now, Arystar, and be off with you. Try to do something worthwhile other than staring at women."

"I'm not..." Arystar started to say. However, he just shook his head and walked back to the table he was sharing with his friends.

Ellie was already busily chatting with Lenalee. She looked up at Arystar when he sat on the chair beside her. She smiled widely at him. "Lenalee was just telling me about you, Arystar. So, you like to play chess?"

Arystar blushed and fiddled with his napkin. "Uhh...y-yes."

Ellie tilted her head to one side. " I like to play chess a lot too! Hey, maybe we can play sometime. If that's okay with you."

Arystar turned a deep shade of red. He looked at her briefly before averting his eyes. "O-okay."

Allen and Lavi started snickering.

"Ooooh, Kuro-chan. I sense something in the air. " Lavi teased.

"Yeah, Krory. Hey, why don't you tell Ellie about your...ex-lover? Just so she can be warned." Allen added.

The two bursted out laughing.

Lenalee kicked the two in the face. She smiled apologetically at Ellie and Krory. "I'm so sorry. These two are just natural loud mouths. Do excuse me." She took Allen and Lavi by their ears and started to drag them out of the room.

Ellie looked at Arystar inquisitively. "Lover? Did you have a past wife or something?"

Arystar's ears burned. "N-no! Don't mind them. Those two were just...er...fooling around."

Ellie looked at him for a moment then shrugged her shoulders. Just as she was finish eating, Kanda approached their table and cleared his throat. Ellie looked up at him and broke into a smile. "Oh, hey, Kanda. You're finish eating already?"

"Yeah." Kanda answered flatly. "Don't forget our date this afternoon."

Arystar almost spewed his juice across the table. He stared wide-eyed at Kanda. "D-date?"

Kanda frowned at Arystar before looking at Ellie. "You hang out with this loser?"

"Hey! What did you..."

"Arystar is no loser, Kanda." Ellie interrupted disapprovingly. "He's a really nice man to be around."

Kanda just continued to look at Ellie sourly. "Whatever."

"Kanda, don't you think it would be better if we take Arystar on our date?" Ellie asked.

"Wait, are you and Kanda...really dating?" Arystar asked sadly.

"Tch. Exactly how much common sense does that brain of yours contain, you weirdo?" Kanda growled. "Ellie wanted me to teach her how to improve her skills whenever she uses her innocence. We. Are. Not. Dating."

Arystar found himself sighing in relief. "Oh,okay."

Ellie smiled at him. "You can join us if you want, Arystar."

Kanda glared at Arystar, as if telling him not to say yes.

Arystar swallowed. In the end he decided to decline, even though his heart was screaming for him to accept Ellie's offer. "N-no thanks. I still have a lot to do."

Ellie's shoulders drooped. "Aw, if that's the way you want it. If you changed your mind though, you can always say so."

Arystar nodded sadly.

"Well, come on. We need to get started." Kanda grumbled. He offered his hand to Ellie.

Ellie reluctantly took it. She stood up and smiled apologetically at Arystar. "See you around, Arystar."

Arystar watched the two as they headed out of the room.

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><p>Lately, Kanda finds himself staring at Ellie's face. The way she presses her lips together when she's annoyed, or whenever she places a loose strand of hair away from her flushed cheeks. It was starting to irritate him.<p>

"Concentrate, Ellie!" Kanda ordered, a little too sharply.

Ellie sighed and looked at Kanda wearily. "Okay,okay. I get it."

"Invocate your innocence again. This time without saying anything. Just focus."

Ellie closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. However, certain disturbing images flashed through her mind. She opened her eyes quickly.

"I'm sorry. " Ellie said softly. She averted her eyes from Kanda. "I-I...can't concentrate right now."

Kanda just stared at her.

Ellie finally met his eyes. "Can I...perhaps...can we just continue this tomorrow?"

Kanda closed his eyes. "Fine. You can go now."

"Thank you." Ellie replied. She darted past Kanda and started for the Order. The wind blew softly against her face, making her hair flow sinuously behind her.

Again, Kanda found himself staring at her.


	3. Revelations

Sighhh! At last I'm about to start the next chapter. Jeez! Sorry if took me so long to finish the last chapter. It's pretty short, I know, but I ran out of ideas. Anyway...I hope this one won't be such a epic fail.

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><p>Chapter 3: Revelations<p>

Ellie walked down the empty corridor, her mind racing. She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her heaving chest. She stopped walking and slowly leaned on the wall. She felt like crying. Her blonde locks obscured her eyes.

_Why? _She thought. _Why did he leave me? Alone, sad, broken._ Ellie's hands tightened into a fist. Without knowing it, she started to tremble.

"Ellie?" a familiar voice asked.

Ellie looked at the person in front of her. Despite of the dimly lit corridor, she could see the white streak of hair that she knew she would recognize anywhere. Ellie forced a smile and stood a little straighter. "Arystar, w-what are you doing here?"

Arystar looked at her worriedly. "I was on my way to your room."

Ellie stared at him. _Strange..._she thought. She shifted her gaze at the corridor that stretched before her and realized something. _My was also heading towards his room. Is it coincidence perhaps?_

"I noticed you were quiet, s-so I got worried. A-are you...okay?" Arystar asked.

Ellie looked at the man's concerned face. Arystar's eyes showed anxiousness and worry. For no apparent reason, Ellie's sad and broken heart started to race. She smiled softly at Arystar, not a forced one this time. "Don't worry. I'm absolutely fine."

Arystar seemed to relax.

Ellie smiled widely this time and she leaned a little closer to her friend. "Hey, how 'bout you come with me to my room and I'll make you a nice hot cup of coffee. I could use a little company."

"T-that sounds g-great," Arystar stammered. Ellie was so close to him and for an instance, he remembered the time when Ellie had held his chin in her small delicate hand.

Ellie led Arystar to her room, a couple of doors back. She inserted a key into the lock and stepped inside. She looked at Arystar and said, "Come inside, Arystar. Don't be a stranger to me."

Arystar nodded his head and entered the room. Unlike his room, Ellie's room was much brighter. Her window was wide open, birds were drifting silently on her windowsill. He went to the window and looked outside. The view was spectacular from inside. He looked back at Ellie who was staring at him with her light blue eyes. "I-I thought you were practicing with Kanda? What happened? Did he make you cry?"

Ellie averted her eyes. "N-no. I just wanted to be dismissed early so..." She didn't mention the fact that she couldn't concentrate properly and asked Kanda himself to adjourn their meeting until next time. Certain images flashed back in her mind and she closed her eyes to keep them out of her head.

"Ellie?" Arystar asked.

Ellie opened her eyes and looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, Arystar. I sometimes get lost in thought."

Arystar smiled at her. "Heck, it's okay. I also get lost in thought everytime."

Ellie went to a small table and started to make coffee.

"So...Ellie, tell me something about yourself," Arystar said, trying to come up with an ideal conversation.

Ellie stiffened. For a moment, her hands froze and her face darkened. Then with her back to him, she answered, "There isn't much you need to know about me."

Arystar looked disappointed. "Oh."

Ellie finally finished making coffee. She carried it to Arystar and sat on the bed with him.

"T-Thank you," Arystar said. He took a sip and his face brightened. "I-It's delicious. Is this really coffee?"

Ellie giggled. "Yes. I have a secret recipe for making coffee so you don't need to be so surprised. Maybe I can share that little secret of mine once I'm..." Ellie's voice trailed off. She suddenly looked sad.

"Once you're what?"

Ellie didn't look at him. Instead, she looked at the the other direction. "Nothing."

Arystar knew that it wasn't just nothing. However, he kept his mouth shut and sipped more coffee.

"So, Arystar, where did you live before going to the Black Order? Did you have a past occupation or something?" Ellie finally asked.

Arystar lowered his cup and stared at his reflection in the murky liquid. His fingers tightened around the cup. He sighed deeply and looked out of the window, as if remembering something. "I-I was...a baron before joining the Order. I lived in a castle in Romania."

"Wow. That's pretty cool," Ellie said in amazement.

Arystar looked back at Ellie with such sad eyes that startled her. He looked down at his fingers. "No. You wouldn't say that if you know...w-what it's like back there."

"Oh. I-I'm sorry, Arystar," Ellie replied softly. "Would you mind if...you tell me your story?"

Arystar smiled at Ellie sadly. "If that's what you want."

And so, Arystar told Ellie everything about his childhood. How he had always been despised and treated like an outcast because of his appearance and because of his family's background. He told Ellie how he had never stepped foot outside of his dark castle and how he had always yearned for a friend.

"The villagers were scared of me because they think I'm a vampire. They fear me whenever I go out of the castle, even when I was still young. And so, my grandfather told me not to go out anymore and stay home instead to care for his precious flowers."

"Vampire? Why would they think of that? I think...I-I think..." Ellie fumbled with her words.

"You think...what?"

To Arystar's surprised, a faint streak of red covered Ellie's cheeks. She lowered her head and tried not to look annoyed.

"Well! I think you look cute and handsome," Ellie said, giving an edge to her voice. Her hands gripped the sheets tightly.

Arystar couldn't believe his ears. "R-really?"

Ellie looked at him and crossed her arms. Still, she was blushing. "Don't you ever let that get to your head. I tend to speak what I have in mind. I say what I want and what I say is always the truth."

Arystar laughed. He rubbed the back of his head. "T-thanks. It's just that...n-nobody has ever told me that before."

"Well I just told you," Ellie said. She tilted her head a little to examine Arystar's face. "Those fangs...are those...the reason why the villagers in your hometown hated you?"

Arystar looked at Ellie. "Yes."

"Oh. I see now," Ellie said in a sympathetic way. " May I take a closer look?"

"Of course," Arystar answered.

Ellie gently took Arystar's chin in her hand and moved closer to him. Arystar held his breath as he stared wide-eyed at her. Ellie was so incredibly close to him. He could almost hear the steady beating of Ellie's heart, the warmth radiating from Ellie's hands. Arystar swallowed a huge lump in his throat and for a moment, he was afraid he might start nosebleeding.

"Arystar..." Ellie said, still holding Arystar's chin and looking at him intently, "If...for example...a person kissed you...will it cut that person's lips?"

Arystar's heart thudded to his chest. A kiss would certainly be a wonderful suggestion. However, Ellie asked a question. He swallowed and thought what it would be like to kiss Ellie on her lips. He was pretty sure Ellie's lips would be soft and..._N-No! What in the world are you thinking, Arystar?_

Arystar smiled nervously. "No, my fangs wouldn't cut any person's lips."

"Ahh. So, you have kissed someone before."

Arystar noticed that it wasn't a question. It was simply a speculation, a certainty that she was saying it right. "H-how did you...know?"

Ellie smiled and finally let go of his chin. "It's simple. You wouldn't know the answer unless you've tried it."

Arystar just stared at her. He lowered his head and clenched his hands into fists. "T-That's right."

Ellie's smile faltered. She looked at her own hands and closed her eyes. "I-I know what it feels."

Arystar looked at Ellie. "What?"

Ellie opened her eyes and stared at her hands. "I know what it feels to lose someone special. Someone you treasure in your heart. I can also see...the sadness in your eyes...Arystar."

Arystar stared at Ellie in awe. _H-how did she know? How can she tell?_

Ellie's expression hardened. "I know I shouldn't be rude but, can I ask you to leave now, Arystar?"

Arystar nodded. "Of course. I-I'm sorry if..."

"You did nothing wrong. I just have a lot of things to fix and I really need privacy. Hope you don't mind," Ellie interrupted.

"Not at all." Arystar stood up and headed to the door. "So...uh...see you around. Oh, and thanks for the coffee."

"My pleasure,"Ellie said with a warm smile. She slowly closed the door. Suddenly, the room seemed so dark and lonely. Ellie walked over to a huge trunk and opened it. A lot of things were inside but Ellie reached for one single thing. She took out a small tiffany box with a lovely pink ribbon. She opened it and inside, a lovely golden ring with a small piece of diamond, was laid in a velvet cloth.

She took the ring and whispered, "Happy Anniversary, my sweet Daniel."

* * *

><p>Aaaaaaand that's the end of chapter 3! I know it seems pretty short but I ran out of ideas, plus I couldn't log-in for a couple of weeks. I don't know what happened. Anyway, hope you liked it!<p> 


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